Week 2 of the NFL season is here, and hopefully, you made the right choice last week in survivor pools. As for my record regarding the Top 5 Survivor picks in the 2023 NFL Season, I went 3-2 in Week 1. As always I will discuss the rules for a survivor pool. It is a weekly contest where people select one team straight up per week to win their game. If a team chosen won, then they advance to the next week, but keep in mind that the team chosen can’t be used for the rest of the season. If a team that they chose for that week loses, well they are eliminated from the pool.
Now that Week 1 is behind us, I'm back to give you my Top 5 Suggestions for survivor pools, identify a trap survivor game, and even share my own survivor picks for this week.
1. Buffalo Bills vs Las Vegas Raiders
This is the game that the majority of players in survivor pools are likely to pick this week, and with good reason. The Bills are coming off a brutal loss against the New York Jets, and they are going to be super angry facing the Raiders. Along with this game being in Buffalo, which is advantageous, the Raiders' defense is a lot worse than the Jets' defense, so the Bills should look a lot better than they did last week, especially Josh Allen, who threw the ball to Jordan Whitehead of the Jets way too many times.
The Raiders are also dealing with injuries on offense. Davante Adams is nursing an ankle injury, and so is Jimmy Garoppolo. I am still not convinced Garoppolo was healthy to begin the season, given there were talks of the Raiders having a Plan B to get out of his contract. The big injury is WR Jakobi Myers, who looked solid against the Broncos but got hit hard, resulting in a concussion. I doubt that Myers will play this week; I really do.
Along with the Raiders' offensive line being terrible and Josh McDaniels still being their head coach, this should be a nice bounce-back game for the Bills.
2. Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings
This game is happening on Thursday Night Football, and if you want to get your pick over and done with, the Eagles are a nice choice. Not only because it is a primetime game, and Cousins has a poor track record in such games, but also due to the opportunity to play against the Vikings' defense, which was terrible last week against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Plus, the Vikings, in general, looked sloppy. Philadelphia is better in almost every way than the Vikings. I can't name one advantage for the Vikings in this matchup. Along with the Eagles being the home team, this is a solid time to pick the Eagles if you want to use them this week in survivor.
3. Dallas Cowboys vs New York Jets
Well, with Aaron Rodgers' season over and Zach Wilson starting, this game has to be one of the top options in survivor pools. Especially considering how the Cowboys destroyed the New York Giants last week. They are the home team this week, and the Jets are coming off a short week. The Cowboys' defense is also going to be a handful for the Jets' poor offensive line. This Cowboys team should take care of business and beat the New York Jets if they can shut down the Jets' running game
4. Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks
The Lions are a solid choice as well in survivor. They had extra time to prepare for this game as they played on Thursday night and will be the home team in this game. Plus, Seattle's offensive line is beaten up right now, and there is a chance both of their starting tackles are going to be out this week. Even if they play, the Seahawks had a tough time blocking the Rams' defense to begin with. It also does not help that Tyler Lockett will likely not play due to a concussion. The Seahawks' defense had a tough time getting pressure on the QB against the Rams, and they are going to face a tougher offensive line. The Lions should take care of business against the Seahawks.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears
As for my sleeper survivor pick, I'm going off the radar here, as I'm intrigued by Tampa Bay as an option this week. It's not because they upset the Minnesota Vikings, but because I really like the Bucs' defense. They did a solid job against the Vikings, and this week they face a much worse offense.
The Bears' offense was horrendous last week against Green Bay. On a side note, has anybody fallen as much as Chase Claypool has in the past few seasons? I mean, here was a guy who, years ago, was one of the most intriguing prospects in Pittsburgh and looked like the next big receiver, to being a liability on the Bears' offense. It's quite a fall for Claypool, and there's a real chance that if he keeps playing the way he did yesterday, Claypool could be cut during the season. He looked like he was sleepwalking at times against the Packers.
The Bears legitimately have no pass rush, and their secondary is awful. While Baker was alright, he could be in line to have yet another strong game this week.
I'll also be honest; I may not be a Todd Bowles guy myself, but I think he's a better coach than Matt Eberflus. That Bears team just looked unprepared in that game, and I was scratching my head at some of the plays that were being called as well.
It also helps that Tampa is the home team, and they don't have a lot of future value in survivor. It's risky, but it could be a risk worth taking.
Trap Survivor Pick - Denver Broncos vs Washington Commanders
This game is stupid. I understand the reasoning behind people wanting to pick the Broncos in survivor pools because the Commanders are atrocious. However, here's the thing: Denver is also struggling. I'd really like to label this as a 'Tank Game' in the tournament for the 1st Overall Pick, but it's too early for me to do that.
I don't want to give up on Russell Wilson, but time is running out. It doesn't help that his offensive line didn't protect him well last week. Plus, the Commanders' defense is still good, so the Broncos are going to have their hands full in this game.
Sam Howell didn't look good last week, but he did what he could to secure the victory. The Redskins don't have the best offensive line, but guess what? The Raiders don't either, and Denver's defense still struggled. It's just too risky, and you'd be out of your mind to want to pick Denver in this game.
Record (1-0) - Week 1: Seattle Seahawks
My Survivor Pick - Buffalo Bills
I will be blunt; this choice came down to the Philadelphia Eagles or Buffalo Bills. For this week I am looking to survive, so I want to avoid going with a risky pick this week. So the Buccaneers are clearly out as it is just too risky to take them. Plus the Buccaneers could be intriguing when they face Carolina later in the season. Dallas is tempting, but that Jets defense scares me, so I will be patient picking them with the team having a ton of future value. I thought about taking the Detroit Lions, but I want to save them Detroit is a solid choice, but the NFC North is kind of garbage and there are plenty of weeks to take the Lions in survivor. Both the Eagles and the Bills have plenty of future value in survivor. However, I don’t think the Bills have as much future value then Philadelphia does. Plus, the Bills are facing a weaker opponent then the Eagles are. So, with my goal is to survive, I will take the Buffalo Bills in survivor for this week.
Record (1-0) - Week 1: Washington Commanders
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